Collapsible tube closure



Patented Mar. 22, 1.927.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JOHN D. MILLER, OF NEWTON, NORTH. CAROLINA.

GOLLAPSIBLE TUBE C110-SUBE.

`Application led March 19, 1926. Serial No. 95,941.

This invention relates broadly to an im- Figure is afview showing the complete proved collapsible tube of the kind used for valve and neck construction together with a containing tooth paste, shaving cream, patchpart of the tube. ing cement, paste, and the like, and it has Figure 6 is a detail sectional and eleva- 5 more specific reference to a novel closure for tional View showing the neck constructed as 60 the `discharge end of the tube and a new an attachable unit to the customary threaded method of making the closure. nipple of a conventional tube.

B'rieiiy, the invention comprises a neck Referring to the drawings in detail, the formed with a discharge passage and with a reference character 1 designates the ball 10 spherical socket. A ball valve is fitted snugvalve and 2 indicates the finger crank which 65 ly, but freely movable in this socket, and serves as an operating lever for the valve. this valvehas a passage which is adapted to The reference character 3 (see Figures 2 and be aligned with the passage in said neck in 3) represent a coating of a certain kind of order to permit the contents of the tube to material around the valve. The reference be dispensed. -The valve is equipped with a character 4 designates' the' discharge neck 70 right angular operating member accessible which is formed of lead The top of the on the exterior of the neck and so arranged tube 5 is represented by the reference charthat it maybe operated by the fingers of the acter 6. hand in which the tube is held, whereby to As before stated, a new method is empermit the valve to be closed and permit the ployed in making the structure shown. 75

other hand to be used for manipulating the First, the ball 1 is cast or molded into tooth brush, or Jfor otherwise using the tube spherical form. This ball is made of glass contents. or other suitable relatively hard metal. The

Onefeature ofl construction is the neck right angular handle 2 is attached to the ball which is composed fromlead and which is 4at the approximate point shown. The ball 80 cast or molded vabout the valve, the valve and the part of the handle is then dipped being made of a more rigid material. into lard or oil and is sprinkled lightly A second feature of construction is the opwith bicarbonate of soda to form the coaterating-handle for the valve which is in the ing 3. The coated structure is then susform of a finger actuated crank located on pended by suitable means in a mold for 35 one side of the neck, so that the valve can forming the neck 4. Melted lead is then be easily opened and closed with the fingers poured into the moldl around the coated of the' same hand in which the tube is held. sphere. The. molten lead coming in contact A further feature of construction is-the with the 'bicarbonate of soda generates a making of the discharge neck in the form gas which bubbles ofi' and keeps the lead 90 of a detachable unit capable of being applied from adhering closely to the ball. to the ordinary screw threaded nipple of the The steps recited are somewhat illustrated conventional or marketed tube. in Figures 1, 2, and 3, wherein the ball is Other features and advantages will beshown in its natural state, then coate with 40 come apparent from the following descripthe bicarbonate of soda and oil, an then 0b tion and drawings. as it appears before completely cooled.

In the accompanying drawings forming a After the cast or molded neck cools, it is part of this application and 'in which like shaped as shown and a hole is bored through Y numerals are eniployed to designate like the ball and neck to form a passage 7 parts throughout the same: through the ball and a complementary pas- 100 Figure 1 is an elevational view of the ball sage 8 through the base portion of the neck. valve. In the drawing, the neck is shown attached Figure 2 is a similar view of the valve to the convex top portion 6 of the paste conshowing a coating of material surrounding taining tube. When the structure is thus it such as isuised in the new method of manucompleted, the ball is freely rotatable in the 105 facture. v spherical socket thus provided and byl turn- Fi ure 3 shows the structureA represented ing the handle or crank 2 to the position in Figure 2 associated with the neck. indicated in Figure 4, the passage is coin- Figure 4 is a view showing the finished pletely open to permit discharge of the convalve and neck construction. tents from the tube, and by turning the 110 with the operatin crank 11. The neck however, has a conica socket or recess 12 formed in its bottom and a 'screw threaded' passage 13 adapted to register with the passage in the ball valve.` This form of the invention is adapted to serve as an attachment to it Von the usual screw threaded nipple -of the ordinary marketed dispensing tube.

It is to be stated that in the method of making the structure hereinbefore set forth, it is permissible to bore the hole through the ball valve before it is coated and placed in the mold. At this time however y must be plugged with suitable material and the plug removed after the molding operation is completed.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have evolved and produced a novel valve servin as a closure for the discharge end of a ispensing tube for tooth paste and the like.` The structure is not onl novel, simple and'inexpensive, but is of ad): vantage due to the facility which may be exercised in the operation of opening and closing the tube. These features and others will no doubt be a parent to those skilled in the art to whicli the invention relates,

the bore b and in view of this a more lengthy description is thought unnecessa n While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that minor changes coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim A as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i As a new product of manufacture, an attachment for a conventional type of collapsible dispensing tube wherein said tube embodies a conical discharge end having a central externally screw-threaded discharge nipple, a closure for said nipple and including'a cylindrical body having a conical recess in its bottom to engage the conical endf'portion of said tube, a central screw-'threaded bore into which said nipple is adapted. to tap, a spherical socket in communication with said' ore, and a discharge opening of a diameter JOHN n. MEIJER. i

said attachment being in the form of 'so less than said bore, and a ball -valve litteol 

